Quote by Martin Luther
“For what is the world if it lacks this heavenly and spiritual light which we have from theology? The teaching of the jurists and physicians has its place, and it is excellent, necessary, and very profitable. But if all are given to these studies, where will that heavenly light remain when scholars and students of theology are lacking? Of what benefit are gold, silver, good health, and for that matter, this whole life if this lamp of the Word has become extinct? And yet it is now fostered by few, although it really has need of the diligence and interest of very many and although it is retained only with difficulty, for the devil and the world hate it.”
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Martin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his 95 Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms meeting in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.
Luther taught that salvation is a free gift of God and received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin, not from good works. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.
His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.